German Sauerkraut Rye Bread

Instructions

Stir together the lukewarm water and molasses in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top; do not stir. Set aside for at least 5 minutes to proof to a foamy consistency.

Stir together the 1 1/4 cups Bread flour and the whole wheat bread flour, rye flour, cocoa, caraway seeds, and salt in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, mix in the sauerkraut and its reserved liquid, buttermilk, oil, and mustard. Add the yeast mixture and mix well to form a stiff dough, adding more bread flour if necessary. Turn out the dough onto a floured board and knead for 5 minutes, or until the dough becomes soft and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a tea towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and let it rise, covered with a tea towel, until it is again doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan.

Transfer the dough to the loaf pan. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a thump with your fingers yields a hollow sound. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

Makes 1-1 ½ pound loaf.

VARIATION:

To make with a bread machine, (make sure your bread machine can handle over 3 cups of flour) add all of the ingredients to the machine’s bread pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Use the whole wheat cycle with the medium crust setting. Because the moisture content of the sauerkraut may vary, you might have to add a bit more bread flour if the sauerkraut is on the wet side. Check the dough after 5 minutes on the knead cycle and, if it is sticky and has not formed into a ball, sprinkle in more bread flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is firm enough.

DOUBLE TROUBLE:

Many bread recipes, and some pastry recipes, tell you to let the dough rise until it has doubled in bulk. How do you know when it has?

It certainly is not easy to measure the volume of such an unevenly shaped mass. You are left to trust what your eyes tell you and to rely on the suggested timing in the recipe. (The time it takes for the dough to double in bulk depends on the temperature and on the amounts and types of ingredients in the recipe.

Another way to test: Press two fingers about 1/2 inch into the top of the dough. If the dough feels light and spongy, and the depressions in the dough remain, then the dough has risen sufficiently.

Author's Comments

This is a great Old World bread for sandwiches of grilled bratwursts and horseradish or of shaved ham and mayonnaise. Cocoa powder, the surprising ingredient here, deepens both the color and the flavor of the bread.

Prairie Home Cooking

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